Ma Renjie and Xuan Cheng
(photo by Rosalie O'Connor, courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet)
It comes as no surprise that The Butterfly Lovers is one of China's four major folk tales. Dating back to about the 3rd or 4th c. AD, the poignant story of star-crossed lovers has inspired plays, films, a violin concerto, music videos, a figure skating act, and several operas, although we could find no evidence of it being performed by the Peking Opera.
Storytelling has been part of human culture since the dawn of speech, long before the alphabet and written language. Mankind has always loved stories, sharing them by means of music, song, and dance, and eventually through books and film. There is a commonality between opera and ballet in that both performing arts drive straight to the emotions, often bypassing the critical thinking part of the brain. And therein lies their special value.
Last night we had the privilege of attending a performance of the Hong Kong Ballet which was formed in 1979, fortunately escaping the meretricious intentions of The Cultural Revolution. Judging by their repertoire, they are firmly in the camp of classical ballet as exemplified by the choreographers whose works they perform. We are glad, however, that our first experience of their repertoire was The Butterfly Lovers, since we are a great devotée of Chinese culture.
The themes of The Butterfly Lovers are universal--forbidden love, gender inequality, classism, societal norms, and the transcendence of love. Although similar stories can be found in many cultures (Romeo and Juliet, Yentl) here the story is told through a Chinese lens with concept and choreography by Hu Song Wei Ricky and librettist/associate choreographer Mai Jingwen. The story is told episodically with sequential scenes illuminating the relationship of the heroine Zhu Yingtai with her aristocratic parents, her gender secret admission to an academic institution, her meeting with fellow student Liang Shanbo, their developing relationship (including their awkward mutual sexual awakening) and the tragedy which follows her being called home for a forced marriage.
A particularly lovely scene was the sexual awakening when Liang discovers that Zhu is a girl. The set designer Tim Yip (who also designed the stylized but period authentic costumes) had our romantic couple side by side on a nearly vertical bed, giving the audience full view of their awkward and playful interaction. Meanwhile, in a most effective directorial and choreographical gambit, a different pair of dancers created a sensual and tender pas de deux.
The New York City Ballet Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Lio Kuokman, performed the varied score of Tian Mi. Did we hear strains of the violin concerto entitled Butterfly Lovers, composed by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang whilst students at the Shanghai Conservatory? We were inspired to listen to the work performed by Joshua Bell and a group in Singapore playing on Chinese instruments instead of the Western orchestra it was written for. It is a splendid piece of music that was composed in 1959 and was repressed until the Cultural Revolution ended.
As for the dancing, we found it satisfying in every respect. Relationships between characters were made very clear. Zhu's pas de deux with her father was completely different from her pas de deux with Liang. Choreographic combinations flowed with what in opera might be called legato technique. Lifts and carries were exciting and sensual.
For purposes of variety there were large ensembles in colorful costumes, at times dancing aggressively to aggressive music. There was only one scene that seemed off to us. It involved a corps of female dancers in white tutus, looking as if they wandered in from another ballet. We just shrugged that off as an anomaly or something that went over our head.
Finally, we would like to mention how the lighting by Yeung Tsz Yan added visual interest to the simple but effective scenic design. We hope that The Hong Kong Ballet will return soon and hopefully perform one of the other four famous Chinese legends. Regular readers will recall our distaste for the didactic and the abstract. Story ballets are what we want to experience, and an Asian company is best suited to introduce us to Asian stories!
© meche kroop
